During sports activities such as softball and baseball, teams play varying positions which require equipment specific to that role. For example, when a team is “at bat”, the players need batting gloves and protective helmets, whereas when the same team is playing “on the field”, the players need catching gloves and hats.
Throughout the game each the team uses their respective dugout to store the required equipment and to prepare for the next inning. Additionally, the teams periodically rearrange fielding positions or insert a new player into the lineup as needed. Once an inning ends, the team must move swiftly and promptly either out of the dugout and onto the field or off the field and into the dugout. Game play cannot resume until the players are in their proper field positions.
Further, ball parks often have multiple games scheduled for sequential use of the playing field and place time limits on each game being played. The teams, spectators and game officials must repeatedly wait until the whole team is properly positioned before the next inning of game play may resume. The next scheduled set of teams waiting to use the playing field must wait until the previous game is completed before they can take the field and begin their own game.
Clearly the efficiency of the teams in shifting to and from their various offensive and defensive positions during innings impacts the game play period and can even have a ripple effect of the time available for the next scheduled games. Younger players are especially prone to delays in changing field position due to their propensity to misplace their respective batting or field equipment when it is not in use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,495 presents an apparatus for supporting, transporting and storing equipment used in playing baseball, in an organized, convenient and readily accessible manner. The apparatus includes a support member upon which is mounted U-shaped clamps for removably holding at least one bat and L-shaped clamps for removably holding at least one batting helmet. The support member can be hung on a fence or backstop or other upright member whereby the equipment is stored in an organized and accessible manner during the game. In addition, the support member is foldable and provided with handles to enhance portability of the apparatus and the equipment mounted thereon.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,074 presents a portable rack for arranging and storing baseball bats, balls, batting hats and related baseball equipment. The storage rack is supported on a wall surface with extensible and pivotal deployable equipment engaging extensions for receiving baseball equipment. Clip assemblies allow for selective attachment and removal from a wall-supporting surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,065 provides a baseball equipment holder comprising an elongate tubular housing that can have a diameter sufficient to accommodate a plurality of playing balls in side-by-side relationship. A plurality of longitudinally aligned openings open to the housing to retain a plurality of baseball bats. Hanger members extend from the housing for suspending items of baseball equipment. The housing is connectable to upright structure such as a chain link fence.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,005 provides a portable modular sports equipment rack includes elongated telescoping tubular mounting members for accommodating a number of different types of hooks specifically adapted to receive different types of softball or baseball equipment, including at least fielding gloves, batting helmets and bats. Tubular spacer elements maintain a desired space between different pieces of equipment. A plurality of aligned apertures in a line along the tubular mounting members allow the length of the rack to be adjusted easily and is locked into the desired length by a snap button fastener engaged in two aligned apertures in the telescoping members. Aligned apertures through both side walls of the tubular members along a diameter of a cross section of the tubes adjacent to their ends allow the rack to be conveniently suspended from a chain link fence by a clevis pin through the apertures. The rack allows equipment to be stored at games, during travel to and from games, and at a remote storage cite, such as a locker room, if desired.
Despite the foregoing references, the need to improve game playing efficiency remains.